That’s because Mann, twice nominated for Tony Awards for past performances on the Broadway stage, received word Tuesday, April 30, of his third Tony nomination, this one for his role in the revival of the beloved musical “Pippin.”

Mann is among the nominees in the category of best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical. He is playing the role of King Charles (or Charlemagne), father to the title character. “Pippin” racked up a total of 10 nominations. Winners will be announced Sunday, June 9.

“Congratulations to Terrence Mann on his third Tony nomination, proof that nice guys can succeed,” said Nathan Thomas, director of WCU’s Musical Theatre Program. “Our students are extremely fortunate to be able to work with artists of Terry’s caliber.”

Mann was previously nominated for Tony Awards for his starring role as the original Beast in the Broadway production of “Beauty and the Beast,” which also garnered Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for best actor, and as the original Inspector Javert in “Les Miserables,” which enjoyed new life as an Academy Award-winning film last year.

This year’s Tony nominations come as WCU’s School of Stage and Screen is unveiling its 2013-14 Mainstage season, a theatrical lineup that will include a spring production of “Les Miserables” directed by Mann.

The tentative schedule calls for “Le Miserables” to stage April 3-6 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, capping a season that will include the musical “Next to Normal,” the original “Zombies on Campus! A SlaughterPocalypse,” by WCU assistant professor of theatre D.V. Caitlyn, and the Henrik Ibsen classic “A Doll’s House.”

Mann joined the Western Carolina faculty in 2006 as the Phillips Distinguished Professor in Musical Theater. As a Broadway veteran, he provides invaluable insight into the onstage and behind-the-scenes tricks of the trade, said Robert Kehrberg, dean of WCU’s College of Fine and Performing Arts.

“Terrence not only brings his life experiences as an accomplished theatrical professional to share with our students, he also frequently takes students to New York City to go backstage and see first-hand how things really work in the world of theatre,” Kehrberg said. “He provides our students with a rare, insider’s perspective on the business of mounting major theatrical productions.”

Other highlights of Mann’s stage career include the roles of Rum Tum Tugger in “Cats” and Chauvelin in “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” He also has taken the Broadway stage in “Lennon,” “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Getting Away with Murder,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Rags,” “Barnum,” “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway” and “Jekyll and Hyde.”

“WCU’s Musical Theatre Program (and the entire School of Stage and Screen) has always prided itself on having faculty with current real-world experience,” said Tom Saltzman, director of the School of Stage and Screen. “This honor for our distinguished chair, Terrence Mann, is the latest demonstration that our students are getting up-to-date information about the business and not just an academic or historical perspective.”

For more information about musical theater at WCU or any of the programs in the School of Stage and Screen, visit the website stageandscreen.wcu.edu, or call 828-227-7491.